VEDRA
by BlueGoose
Summary: SG-1 gates to the world of a new ally. Daniel makes a friend. And SG-1 finds a long lost Goa'uld - don't they always?
1. Prologue & Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **Only the original characters in this story belong to me. The rest belong to Gecko, MGM, etc. I don't get any money for this - it just quiets the voices in my head so I can pretend to be sane.

**A/N:** This is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for over a year. I finally found a way to express in a way that feels right - I hope you like it! By the way, all the chapters for this 'episode' are written. I will post them as I get them formatted, so it shouldn't be too long before the whole thing is online.

**Episode Spoilers: **No spoilers really - as long as you know about Daniel's ascension and return.

**Summary:** On what should be a fairly routine mission, Daniel makes a new friend and SG-1 finds a long lost Goa'uld.

* * *

**Prologue**  
  
Nuit stepped from the Chapp'ai. The bright morning sun reflected off her midnight blue Gown; the silver stars that decorated her dress twinkled as if they were real. She was furious that Ra had banished her to this world with only a dozen human slaves. She, who had forgiven him his dalliances with Hathor, was banished for loving another. Nuit, goddess of the sky, would have her revenge. Was she not a queen? She would use these puny humans and their inevitable offspring to create an army of Jaffa. Then she would return to the Tau'ri world and claim her rightful place as its ruler. Ra would be vanquished and her lover would be pharaoh. Nuit smiled as she considered her plans.  
  
Her human slaves were not waiting for her at the base of the platform. They would pay for their disobedience. They could not have gone far, she had only waited a few moments before following them through the wormhole.  
  
Scanning the horizon, Nuit took note of the landscape. A lush, green forest skirted the eastern edge of the clearing. To the west was the edge of a plateau, beyond which an ocean sang its soothing lullaby. The barren plateau stretched north and south for as far as Nuit could see.  
  
Knowing that her slaves could have only gone into the forest, Nuit squared her shoulders and sauntered after them. She did not have to go far into the shaded wood to find her errant humans. But they were not alone.  
  
The twelve, scrawny humans had been met by a handful of alien creatures. Nuit thought they looked similar to Unas, but their skin was a bright green instead of the pallid gray. They must have been friendlier than an Unas because the slaves did not appear to be afraid. Rather, they were hiding behind the aliens – hiding from their queen.  
  
One of the aliens spoke. "These creatures say that they are your slaves," it lisped.  
  
"I am their god," Nuit answered. "As I am yours."  
  
"We serve no god," the creature answered.  
  
"You will serve me."  
  
"We will not, and neither will these," he pointed to the humans that were cowering in fear.  
  
Nuit drew herself up to her full height, her thick, black hair swinging across her shoulders, and her hand device began humming with power. Her eyes glowed white. "You will pay for your insolence!"  
  
A sudden, brilliant flash of light and pain turned Nuit's smile to a gasp of shock. She was vaguely aware of murmuring voices and hands lifting her before she lapsed into darkness.  
  
_Rejoicing in their apparent freedom, the humans wished to throw Nuit's body over the edge of the cliff into the rocky ocean below. The aliens, however, held all life as sacred. They restrained the humans and instead fashioned a coffin for the fallen goddess. Around it they built a tomb and inside the tomb, they carved Nuit's brief part in the story of the world they called Vedra.  
  
Thousands of years passed. The world above her tomb changed. The forest gave way to civilization. Ocean winds softened the edges of the plateau. The aliens sheltered the humans, taught them technology and culture. Eventually, the aliens passed on – they were an old race and dying when they encountered the humans on Vedra. Time sped by until the story of Nuit and the aliens that vanquished her were only a legend._  
  
A pearlescent light surrounded her. How did I get into a sarcophagus? Nuit was confused, she did not feel as though she was in a Goa'uld healing chamber. In fact she still felt residual pain from whatever it was that put her in this condition. Slowly she rose from her horizontal position and looked around. There was a stone slab, where she had been laying and a brightly lit console. Before she could explore further she heard footsteps.  
  
A young woman stood in the doorway to the chamber. "You...you're awake," the woman stuttered.  
  
"We are awake and we demand to know what is going on," Nuit's voice echoed off the dark, stone walls.  
  
The woman tried to surreptitiously move towards the console. Nuit moved to intercept her. "You will answer us. What is going on?"  
  
When the woman didn't answer, Nuit reached out a hand and lifted the insolent human by the throat. The woman placed a well-aimed kick to Nuit's knee. Howling in pain, Nuit dropped the human. Rage bubbled inside the goddess.  
  
How dare this lowly human, this slug, defy her? Focusing her rage into a back-handed slap, Nuit sent the woman flying. Intent only on punishing the rebellious slave, she snarled and attacked. This human woman would die for her impudence.  
  
**Chapter 1**  
  
"That's the last of it," Jack O'Neill set the heavy box down on top of other precariously stacked boxes. "I sent Carter and Teal'c on a pizza run. Daniel?"  
  
"What? Oh, okay. Thanks," Daniel Jackson continued to frown at one of the boxes stacked on his new kitchen table.  
  
"What is it?" Jack walked over to stand next to his friend. Jack imagined he could actually hear the cogs in Daniel's head grinding as his friend thought. "What's the matter, isn't it yours?" Jack knew that he and Carter along with Doctor Fraiser had chosen to store Daniel's belongings while he was gone. And even though it had been a year, they had all been careful to not mix Daniel stuff in with their own. He supposed it was possible that in the excitement of moving Daniel into his new house that something got picked up that shouldn't have.  
  
"I've never seen this box before," Daniel finally said.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Must be Carter's or Fraiser's. We'll just send it home with them later. Come on, let's unpack some of your kitchen stuff so we can eat when Carter and T get back."  
  
"No, I think this belonged to my dad," Daniel said.  
  
Jack whipped around, concern etched on his face. "S'cuse me?" Sure enough, on the side of the box, in faded black marker was: Dr. Mel Jackson PhD.  
  
Daniel's blue eyes met Jack's brown ones. The archeologist nervously licked his suddenly dry lips.  
  
"How could you not have seen this before?" Jack wondered aloud. "Oh wait – that's right. You've got so much crap it would take years to sort through it all." He lightened his remark with a smirk. Daniel's snort was the response he'd been looking for. "So, open it already," Jack said.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Daniel opened the box. Packing peanuts spilled out. Daniel dug through them and began pulling out items.  
  
The first was a framed photograph of a young woman holding a tiny infant. Daniel's eyes softened and Jack took the picture from him. "Your mom." It wasn't a question. Next came an Egyptian wedding cup – similar to the one Daniel had from his marriage to Sha're. More mementos followed; Daniel took the time to handle each one with fondness. Finally, he reached the bottom of the box and pulled out a leather bound journal.  
  
Slowly, with his hand trembling slightly, Daniel opened the journal to the first page:  
  
_I've just gotten a job in Giza – working on a dig. I found out today that I'll be working with Claire Ballard. I've heard she's brilliant. I'm looking forward to this next adventure.  
_  
"It's my dad's," Daniel said. "It's from when he first met my mom."  
  
Jack nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Daniel agreed, but his mind was already thirty-some years in the past.  
  
As Jack locked the door behind him, he pulled out his cell phone. "T? Hey, why don't you and Carter bring the pizza to my place?" He paused, "Daniel? He's fine, just a little preoccupied with something he found in one of the boxes." Another pause while he listened. "I'll tell you about it when we get to my house."

* * *

The next morning, SG-1 gathered in the large room outside General Hammond's office for their pre-mission briefing. A very nervous Janet Fraiser joined them – it wasn't very often she went on an off-world mission.  
  
While they were waiting for the general, Daniel poured himself a cup of coffee. He held up the carafe, silently asking if anyone else wanted any. Only Janet nodded. Daniel set a steaming mug down in front of her, taking the seat to her right. He gave her an encouraging smile.  
  
Hammond entered and the briefing commenced.  
  
"P7S-232," Sam began, "is years ahead of Earth, technologically speaking. SG-6 has established friendly relations with them and they've agreed to trade their technology with us."  
  
"In exchange for what?" Jack asked.  
  
"Medically speaking," Janet jumped in, her nerves abating as her professional training took over. "They're about a hundred years behind us. According to SG-6's report, their average life expectancy is between forty- five and fifty years. Women die in childbirth at a rate of nearly fifty percent. They don't have antibiotics or vaccines, so the chances of surviving even a minor illness or injury are not good."  
  
Sam picked up where Janet left off, "In exchange for Janet's help, the government of P7S-232 has agreed to allow us access to their university. I'll be working with several of their top engineers over the course of two weeks, learning all I can about their technology."  
  
Daniel spoke up. "The people of '232 have only recently discovered their Stargate. There is a major archeological site set up in the surrounding area. They're uncovering more and more about their planet's history every day. SG-6 arranged for me to help out while Sam and Janet are working in the city."  
  
"Arrangements have also been made for Colonel O'Neill and myself to have access to weapons facilities and shipyards while we are guests on this world." Teal'c added.  
  
"Sounds like they have everything all planned out, Sir," Jack concluded.  
  
"Alright," Hammond said. "You leave at oh-eight hundred tomorrow. Dismissed."  
  
Jack and Daniel were the last to leave the briefing room; they could hear Sam and Janet discussing Cassie as the women made their way out into the corridor.  
  
"Janet seems nervous," Daniel commented.  
  
"Doc?" Jack said. "She'll be fine. She's a good soldier and a great doctor – but don't tell her I said that," he warned. "She just has too much time to think right now. Once she's on '232, she'll be so busy she won't have time to worry."  
  
Daniel frowned, his concern still evident. Jack picked up on his friend's worry.  
  
"You seem very concerned about Doctor Fraiser's feelings," he said.  
  
Daniel's eyes widened. "What? No. I'm just saying..." he trailed off, lamely.  
  
"Uh-huh," Jack grinned.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was geared up and in the 'Gate room a few minutes early. The F.R.E.D. was loaded up with all the supplies that SG-1 would need for their two week mission.  
  
Waiting for permission to step through the 'Gate, SG-1 gathered at the base of the ramp. Daniel stood protectively close to Janet. The petite doctor bit her lip to hide her smile. When she caught Sam's eye, it was all the two women could do not to laugh. Struggling to regain her composure, Janet surreptitiously studied her archeologist friend.  
  
Daniel had changed since his return to a corporeal existence. Before his ascension, he had been burned out. Too many months of burning the candle at both ends, Janet remembered. But now, he seemed full of energy and life. He had a fresh enthusiasm, which – according to Sam – had caused a whole new set of friendly arguments between the civilian and the Air Force Colonel.  
  
His new attitude made him, if possible, even more attractive. But, Janet had moved past her 'crush' on one Doctor Daniel Jackson. In grieving his loss, she had realized that it was his friendship that she missed the most.  
  
Daniel was an excellent observer. He often watched his friends without their knowledge. Since none of his team were exactly enthusiastic about sharing feelings – Daniel included – observing body language and facial expressions was often the only way to gauge their moods.  
  
Daniel knew that his friends thought he had feelings for the SGC's Chief Medical Officer. And, to be truthful, he did. He had deep feelings of respect and admiration for Janet Fraiser. Her friendship over the past years had been one of the few constants in a tumultuous life.  
  
In a way, his purely platonic feelings for the doctor made him sad. He found himself wishing for romantic companionship. In his father's journal, Daniel had read Mel Jackson's description of what it was like to work so closely with the woman he loved. Daniel was surprised at the feelings of jealousy and longing he had experienced while reading about his parents' courtship.  
  
Daniel couldn't help startled his flinch when the wormhole splashed to life. He could only hope that no one else had noticed. Enough woolgathering, he told himself. Concentrate on the mission. Experience had taught every field member of the SGC the dangers of letting your mind wander while on another planet – no matter how peaceful it seemed.  
  
The M.A.L.P. went through the 'Gate first. When the control room had received the data, showing exactly what was expected, Hammond gave SG-1 the green light to step through the wormhole.

* * *

On the other side of the galaxy, several members of the local government greeted SG-1. "Ah, you must be Colonel O'Neill," said one man, stepping forward. "I am Claudius, Chancellor of Vedra. It is my honor to welcome you and your team to our world."  
  
"Uh, thanks," Jack said. "This is Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Doctor Fraiser."  
  
Claudius favored them all with a bright smile. "This is my fellow public servant, Virgil. He is the Historical Curator for Vedra. He will be staying at the excavation site with Doctor Jackson. The rest of you will come to the city with me. You will be introduced to your counterparts there."  
  
The Vedrans led their guests to a specially prepared tent where an elaborate meal was laid out. Though they were vigorously encouraged to eat, O'Neill and his team only nibbled on a sampling of the food – just to be polite. During the meal, Chancellor Claudius asked many questions. He encouraged SG-1 to do the same.  
  
"After all, how can we be friends if we do not get to know one another?" Claudius asked. After the meal, Claudius escorted SG-1, sans Daniel, to a waiting vehicle. Two uniformed men unloaded the supplies from the F.R.E.D to a second vehicle and were waiting for the order to move out.  
  
"Keep in touch, Daniel," Jack ordered.  
  
"You will all be provided with comlinks for your use while you are on Vedra," Claudius pulled out his own comlink. It looked like a very sophisticated cell phone. "With the 'link you can communicate, visually, with anyone, anywhere on the planet."  
  
"Sweet," Jack said. "But I bet the roaming charges are outrageous."  
  
Claudius frowned, not understanding. There was an awkward silence. "Uh, never mind," Jack finally said. "Thanks."  
  
Claudius smiled. "Well, come along. There are many people anxious to meet you."  
  
When the transport vehicles had pulled away, Virgil turned to Daniel. "Shall I show you around?"  
  
"Please, lead on," Daniel followed his guide into the heart of the excavation.  
  
They walked through the camp, white tents fluttering slightly in the breeze. Virgil pointed out the sleeping tents and the community tent, where everyone gathered in the evenings to compare notes and relax. All the cooking, Virgil explained was done at the far edge of camp in a permanent building that had running water and electricity.  
  
Daniel nodded; it was a very impressive set up.  
  
People scurried everywhere, respectfully getting out of Virgil's way. He stopped now and again to comment on an artifact and introduce Daniel. The other archeologists greeted Daniel warmly.  
  
"My sister, Eve, is the head archeologist," Virgil explained. "Archeology is a fairly new study for Vedra, so most of the people you see are novices. But Eve has been studying Vedra's history for her entire life. She's the one who discovered the Stargate and organized the entire operation to excavate the surrounding area."  
  
"Really?" Daniel was impressed.  
  
"I have to warn you, though. She can be a bit...difficult when it comes to what she perceives as an interference or distraction. She wasn't very happy when I told her you were coming."  
  
Daniel nodded. He was used to getting a less than enthusiastic reception from other archeologists.  
  
"This," Virgil gestured to a low, stone structure that was half-covered in vines, "is our biggest find yet."  
  
Daniel walked slowly up to the entrance. Two stone columns, covered in markings, flanked the doorway. "What language is this?" he asked. "I've never seen it before."  
  
Before Virgil could answer, a young man emerged into the daylight. He blinked his eyes a few times before he noticed Daniel and Virgil.  
  
"Virg!" he shouted.  
  
"Hey, Ty," Virgil smiled and gave the younger man a light hug. "This is Doctor Daniel Jackson," he introduced. "Our visitor from Earth."  
  
Daniel shook hands with Ty, "It's nice to meet you."  
  
"This is Ty. He's the one assistant that can put up with Eve when she's working." Virgil patted Ty on the shoulder, sympathetically.  
  
"Yeah," Ty said, distracted. "I've got to go get Eve a new power pack. I'll see you around," he waved as he began to walk away.  
  
"Hey Ty," Virgil called. "Where is Eve?"  
  
"Down the stairs off the main hall. When you reach the corner turn right. She's about thirty meters down the hall."  
  
"Thanks!" Virgil called as Ty ran off.  
  
Virgil led the way down into the temple. A half-flight of stairs opened up into a main hall. The wide room was strung with work lights. The walls were carved with intricate symbols. Daniel moved closer to study them. While the majority were completely new to Daniel, some of them appeared to be of ancient Goa'uld origin.  
  
"This way," Virgil announced from the head of a stairway on the far side of the room. Intrigued, Daniel followed – though he undid the snap holding his pistol in its holster before descending any further.  
  
Following the trail of lights, Virgil and Daniel followed Ty's instructions down into the heart of the tomb. As they got closer to their destination they heard a single voice speaking.  
  
They rounded a corner and saw a woman holding up a very dim light and squinting as she tried to make out what was carved into the wall.  
  
"Grozit! Tyrone, I told you to hurry with that power pack."  
  
"Sorry, Eve, it's just me. We ran into Ty on his way to get your power pack. He should be back soon."  
  
Eve's head whipped up and for a second she gave them a blank stare. "Virgil? Virgil!" The slender figure launched herself into the guide's arms.  
  
After returning the fierce hug, Virgil stepped back. "Eve, I'd like you to meet Doctor Daniel Jackson. He's the archeologist that I told you about. The one that came through the Stargate."  
  
Dutifully, Eve shook Daniel's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.  
  
"Likewise," Daniel smiled. "Can I help?"  
  
Eve assessed the man standing in front of her. Her small hand was still encased in his much larger one. Virgil had warned her to 'play nice' with the visiting archeologist, but she really didn't want some history buff messing around on her excavation. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go away. Instead she said, "Can you read Vedran?"  
  
"Uh, no. But I take good notes," Daniel said.  
  
There was such an eager look in his bright blue eyes that Eve couldn't help but laugh. Daniel joined her as he reluctantly released her hand.  
  
Loud footsteps echoed down the corridor. "Eve, I got your power pack as fast as I could," Ty said, out of breath.  
  
"Thanks," she said, accepting the pack. She plugged it into her light and the corridor suddenly brightened.  
  
While Eve immediately went back to work, Daniel took a good look at the woman he would be working with for the next few weeks. She was slightly shorter than Sam, coming up to his shoulders. She looked a little underweight – as if she forgot to eat when she was working. Her ginger- colored hair was pulled back into a braid. Her gray eyes focused intently on the inscriptions on the wall.  
  
Ty gave Daniel a few instructions on using the handheld computer so he could take notes as Eve talked through her findings.  
  
"Hey, Eve," Virgil said. "Now that you have a new assistant, do you mind if Ty and I head topside?"  
  
Eve waved her hand. "Sure. Fine. Whatever," she didn't even look up.

* * *

In the city, the remaining members of SG-1 were escorted to an apartment in the center of town. There were two bedrooms, with their own facilities, and a large living area. An aide explained that the fixture on the wall was programmed with several food selections. He showed Sam and Teal'c how to use it.  
  
Claudius waited until the tour was over before he took his leave, explaining that representatives from the hospital, the university and the shipyards would be by in the morning to collect them. He would see them, he explained, at a banquet to be held in their honor at the end of the week. With a slight bow the Chancellor excused himself.  
  
"Nice digs," Jack commented.  
  
"Not bad," Sam agreed.  
  
"So, what do we do with the rest of our day?" Janet asked.  
  
The aide explained that they were welcome to tour the city. Arrangements had been made for a transport vehicle to be at their disposal. They had only to use one of the 'links to call for it.  
  
The next day flew by quickly. When they met back at the apartment, they shared notes.  
  
Janet went first. "I can't believe what a sorry state their medical practice is in. With all the technology they have at their disposal, you'd think the health of their people would be a higher priority."  
  
Sam frowned. "From what I saw today, I'm not sure they developed their own  
  
technology."  
  
Three pairs of eyes focused on the Major. "What do you mean, MajorCarter?" Teal'c asked.  
  
"Well," Sam struggled to find words for her gut feeling. "They're very good at using the technology and keeping it in good repair, but I didn't see anyone building anything. When I asked about it, they just changed the subject."  
  
"Well, whether or not they built them, these people have some really big, honkin' space ships," Jack quipped. "Don't they, T?"  
  
"Indeed." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Not mine - which is good, cuz I can't afford to pay 'em.

**A/N:** I thought I'd wait until I got some reviews before I posted the next chapter, but I'm impaitient. The voices are telling me what to put in the next 'episode' but I want to get this completely finished first.

**Summary & Episode Spoilers:** See previous chapter...

* * *

**Chapter 2**  
  
_Before I met her, I had heard Claire described as brilliant. They left out beautiful and tenacious and hard headed. She challenges nearly everything I thought to be true about ancient Egypt, making me really work to prove I am correct. When I do prove it she concedes only a little less than graciously.  
  
I find myself having unprofessional thoughts about the petite archeologist. If these thoughts were confined to late at night or in my dreams, I wouldn't worry about them. But, I find myself distracted as we work together. I have difficulty concentrating on my work – Claire's eyes twinkle with amusement everytime she catches me in a daydream.  
_  
_I have been on many expeditions. By far, this is the one I have enjoyed the most.  
  
--From the diary of Dr. Melbourne Jackson  
_  
Daniel spent the next week relishing the return to pure archeology. He and Eve spent nearly every waking minute together. If they weren't exploring the tomb, they were pouring over notes and reference material.  
  
The morning at end of the first week dawned bright and sunny. Virgil caught up with Daniel as they made their way to the showers.  
  
"So," Virgil said. "How are things going?"  
  
"Great," Daniel replied. "It's been a long time since I encountered a language I couldn't read. This has been fascinating."  
  
"And you're making progress?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Eve works harder than I do. I can barely keep up with her sometimes."  
  
"That's Eve, alright. So, you do remember that we have a banquet in the city this evening, right?"  
  
When Daniel just gave him a blank look, Virgil laughed. "Big party, you'll get to see all of your friends," Virgil prompted.  
  
"Oh! Oh yeah. Right." Daniel nodded. He'd only seen Jack and Teal'c for a few hours since they'd arrived on Vedra. He hadn't seen Sam or Janet. "Wow, time flies and all that," he said.  
  
At lunchtime, Virgil shut down the dig and gave everyone the rest of the day off. Eve protested, stalking off when Virgil overruled her. Daniel found her in her tent, reviewing notes from that morning.  
  
"Hey," he sat down on the cot and pulled the computer out of her hands.  
  
Eve frowned at him and moved to the other side of the room to flip through a notepad.  
  
"So are you coming tonight?" Daniel asked.  
  
Eve threw up her arms, gesturing to the piles of notes, artifacts and data disks. "I've got so much to do. If I take tonight off, I'll get even farther behind."  
  
"The tombs been here for thousands of years," Daniel said. "I don't think it will go anywhere if you take one night off." Daniel repressed a shudder; he sounded just like Jack!  
  
"Daniel you don't understand," Eve said. "For the first time in my life, people are taking me seriously. I can't screw this up!" She struggled to hold on to her composure, but not before Daniel noticed tears brimming in her eyes.  
  
"Hey," he said softly, crossing the room to pull her into a hug. Part of his mind warned him that he'd just crossed a professional line, but the rest of him found that he liked the way she felt in his arms. "It's okay," he crooned. "I think that you need to take tonight off." He released her enough to tilt her head up so she could look in his eyes. "Tonight you'll go and talk with the other historians. You'll impress them the way you've impressed me."  
  
Virgil walked into the tent. "We've got to get going if we're going to be on time," he stopped when he saw that Daniel was in the tent, holding his sister. "Oh."  
  
"Okay," Eve said, not taking her eyes from Daniel's. "Let's go."

* * *

When they reached the city, Daniel was taken to the apartment where he met up with his friends. They spent a couple of hours catching up.  
  
Sam filled Daniel in on her theories regarding the Vedran's technology. "It's like they've been living with this level of technology for centuries and are just now getting close to catching up with it."  
  
Janet spoke. "Their medicine is way off for their level of technology. They don't even have x-rays or antibiotics. I'll give them credit for a sterile operating environment, but other than that it's practically barbaric."  
  
Daniel pondered what they were saying. "I need to speak with Eve about this," he said. "She thinks that the Vedran's technology didn't come from the Vedran's themselves, but rather another race that lived a long time ago; the race that built the city we're excavating now."  
  
"That would make sense," Sam said.  
  
Later, when Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were getting dressed for the banquet, Daniel observed, "Sam and Janet look exhausted."  
  
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "They've been working almost non-stop since we got here. You, on the other hand, look like you're having a good time."  
  
"I miss being an archeologist." When Jack looked puzzled, Daniel explained. "I do hit and run archeology. I'm not out there, every day with my hands in the dirt discovering history."  
  
A limousine-like vehicle met them outside and took them to the banquet. The hall was decorated with fresh flowers and lights. The SGC personnel were escorted into a roomful of people. Formally dressed servers circled the room with trays of appetizers.  
  
Chancellor Claudius found them and began introducing them around the room. Daniel nodded politely and shook hands with the dignitaries; but his eyes searched the room.  
  
He saw when Virgil entered, dressed in his official government robes. Just a few steps behind came Eve.  
  
Jack walked up to Daniel and used one finger to push Daniel's mouth closed. Jack let out a low whistle. "Yeah," Daniel agreed.  
  
Eve wore a knee length dress in a silvery blue color. The dress skimmed her slender figure, the sleeveless bodice showed off her toned arms and shoulders. Her hair, normally pulled back into a braid was loose and fell in gentle waves down her back. She was clearly uncomfortable in the formal setting.  
  
"Go for it, big fella," Jack muttered as Daniel made his way across the room.  
  
"Eve," Daniel said when he reached her.  
  
Her eyes lit up and she gave him a nervous smile.  
  
"You look," he paused, searching for the word, "beautiful."  
  
She ducked her head, shyly. "Thank you."  
  
"Dinner is served," a man called out from the archway to the dining room.  
  
Everyone was escorted in and they took their seats. The SGC personnel were seated according to their profession. Janet was seated with the medical personnel; Sam with several university professors and engineers; Jack and Teal'c were seated with the chancellor at the head table and Daniel was seated with history professors, Virgil and Eve.  
  
Virgil offered to trade seats with Daniel so that he was seated next to Eve. In hindsight, Daniel thought, that may not have been the best idea. All through the four- course meal he was distracted whenever their knees bumped. He was afraid the esteemed professors of the Vedran university would think he was a scatterbrained idiot the way he kept losing his train of thought.  
  
After the meal was over, everyone adjourned back to the front room. As soon as he had the opportunity, Daniel asked Eve to meet his friends. He placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to where SG-1 was gathered.  
  
"Everyone," Daniel said. "This is Eve."  
  
"Let me guess," Eve said. "Colonel O'Neill," Jack nodded. "Teal'c," Eve fumbled a bit on the strange sounding name. "Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser." Daniel beamed with pride when she got everyone's face matched to the correct name. "Daniel talks about you all the time."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Sam said. Everyone echoed her sentiments.  
  
They chatted for a while before Claudius came and stole them away for one last round of introductions before the party broke up.

* * *

Back at the hotel, SG-1 and Janet gathered on the couches in the sitting room and spent some time talking. They all teased Daniel about his relationship with Eve. When Sam and Janet began to fall asleep sitting up, they all went to their separate rooms for the night.  
  
Daniel was up first in the morning, he broke into the supplies and started to brew some coffee. He'd just poured his first cup when Janet came out into the sitting room. Daniel poured her a cup and handed it to her as they sat at a small table. "Good morning," he said.  
  
"Good morning," Janet replied. They sipped their coffee quietly for a few minutes. "I liked Eve," Janet said finally.  
  
Daniel looked up from the notes he was reviewing. "Yeah?"  
  
Janet smiled. "Yeah." Janet's brown eyes filled with concern. "How serious are you?"  
  
"Serious? About what?"  
  
"About Eve," Janet said. "What are you going to do when we go home next week?"  
  
"That would be quite a long distance relationship, wouldn't it?"  
  
Janet laughed, but quickly quieted down when she remembered that people were still sleeping.  
  
"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it," Daniel shrugged.  
  
Janet reached across the table and placed one of her small hands over Daniel's. "We just want you to be happy."  
  
Daniel gave Janet's hand a squeeze. "Thanks, Janet." They shared a smile before lapsing into silence again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own them. Just taking them out for a test drive.

**A/N: **see the end of this chapter, cuz I don't want to give anything away...

**Summary/Episode Spoilers:** See Chapter 1.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**  
  
_I asked Claire to accompany me to the city and she accepted. We spent the day shopping for supplies for camp and souveniers to take back to our friends and families. I treated her to lunch in an outdoor café. We had a wonderful time.  
_  
_I stopped the jeep on the last dune before we reached camp. The night was cool and the moon was full. I didn't think the setting could be more romantic. I leaned over to kiss her, but she stopped me. My ego bruised, I drove the rest of the way to camp in silence.  
_  
_The next day, we were working in the pyramid. It was hot, hotter than it had ever been. We took a short water break, resting in the shade of the pyramid. I worked up the courage to ask Claire why she had rejected my advances.  
_  
_She smiled, shyly, and then leaned over to kiss my cheek. "If I made it too easy," she said, "You'd lose interest too quickly." Then she slid of the rock we'd been resting on and went back to work.  
  
I think I'm in love.  
  
--From the journal of Dr. Melbourne Jackson  
_  
After breakfast, a vehicle came to take Daniel and Eve back to the site. When they reached the dig, several workers who had questions immediately confronted Eve. With an apologetic glance at Daniel, she followed them to the location in question.  
  
Daniel went to his tent and picked up the notes he'd been working on for the last few days. With fresh eyes, the foreign symbols suddenly clicked into place. Sitting down at the table he wrote furiously in a notebook.  
  
Eve found him just before the evening meal. "Daniel?" she said from outside the tent.  
  
"Come in," he answered, not bothering to look up from his work.  
  
Slipping into the tent, Eve walked over to the table. "Are you okay? No one has seen you all afternoon."  
  
Daniel reached up and grabbed her hand. With a gentle tug, he pulled her into his lap. "Here, look at this." He showed her the notes.  
  
"What is...oh," she stopped talking as she understood what she was seeing.  
  
"Here, see," Daniel pointed to his notes. "Nuit, Egyptian goddess of the sky. She brought humans here from Earth thousands of years ago. Most likely it was after Ra found out that she had children by another Goa'uld, Geb I think."  
  
Eve picked up the notepad, unconsciously leaning into Daniel's embrace. "But the people rebelled, they had help from the...what's that word?"  
  
"I don't know, I think it's probably a name – the Vedrans. But I don't think it was your people."  
  
"No, these were aliens. They built the tomb as a monument to the rebellion. The weapon they used is buried in the, the heart?"  
  
"The heart, could be center. Have you seen anything down there that could be a weapon?"  
  
"No, so far there's been nothing but corridors. I mean, I knew there had to be a chamber, something down there. Otherwise what would be the point?"  
  
A stomach growled and Daniel and Eve looked at each other, unable to tell whose stomach it had been. "Dinner?" Daniel suggested.  
  
"Yeah. Then we can go down and do some looking around."  
  
"Alright. Up," he ordered, catching her hand as they walked to the dining tent.  
  
Down in the tomb after a quick meal, Eve and Daniel explored the corridors, looking for signs of the weapon or a hidden room. They kept brushing arms and bumping elbows in the narrow hallways.  
  
After an hour, they were both hot – the day's heat was trapped in the dark corridors – and frustrated. They couldn't find anything that would give them the information they were seeking.  
  
Daniel let out a growl, "Nothing, there's nothing." He turned to face Eve.  
  
She sighed, and rubbed at the back of her neck. "Just a little bit longer, I'm sure it's got to be around here somewhere."  
  
Daniel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. After he replaced his glasses, he went to stand behind Eve. He lightly rubbed her shoulders and neck.  
  
As he read the wall above her head, Eve leaned back into the massage. Her warm body felt natural against his and it distracted him from the translation. He read as far down as the top of Eve's head, but the scent of her hair broke his concentration. He turned her around and before his rational mind could object, he lowered his mouth to hers.  
  
After an initial, muffled protest, Eve melted against him. Her arms slipped around his waist, one hand pressed tight against the small of his back while the other roamed upwards.  
  
When she sighed and parted her lips, Daniel groaned and deepened the kiss. He pushed Eve up against the wall. Tearing his lips from hers, he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her throat.  
  
Eve leaned her head back against the wall to give him better access. When she did so, her head bumped into a raised symbol and the wall behind them slid open.  
  
Too startled to catch their balance, Eve and Daniel tumbled through the doorway. For a moment they stared at each other, too dazed from the kiss to comprehend what had happened. Soon, though, their passion for each other was replaced by their curiosity. Daniel rolled off Eve and they scrambled to their feet.  
  
The air was musty and stale. A console at the far end of the room glowed, casting an eerie, blue light across the floor. The walls were smooth and unadorned. A few steps brought them to the console.  
  
They studied it in silence, each trying to translate the symbols that indicated the various buttons.  
  
"Any ideas?" Eve asked.  
  
Daniel shook his head. "None." The work lights in the hallway suddenly began to flicker and fade. "Did you bring a spare power pack?"  
  
"No, I didn't think to do that," Eve confessed. "We'd better head up to the surface. We can grab some spares and some scanning equipment and come back down."  
  
"Hmm," Daniel let his eyes wander around the room. He considered staying while Eve went to get the supplies, but the lights suddenly gave out and they were plunged into darkness save for the light of the console. "Well, I guess that means we better go now," he said.  
  
He took Eve's hand and they felt their way out of the tomb and into the fresh night air. "I've got some power packs in my tent," Eve said, and without letting go of Daniel's hand walked in that direction.  
  
Inside her tent, Daniel sat on her cot while she searched for the equipment they needed. When she turned around, ready to go, she saw that he'd lain down and was fast asleep. Eve set everything down as quietly as she could. Sitting next to him, she gently removed his glasses. Before she could rise, Daniel snaked an arm around her waist. Since she couldn't get up, she moved so that she was laying down next to him – her back to his front. Within minutes, she too was fast asleep.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and warm. Daniel slowly rose to wakefulness. He let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to Eve. He nuzzled her neck until she groaned.  
  
"Good morning," he said. Eve only grunted. And Jack thinks I'm bad in the morning, Daniel thought. "Wake up," he gave Eve what he thought was a gentle nudge.  
  
Unfortunately, on the narrow cot, Daniel's nudge was enough to push Eve over the edge and onto the floor. While the landing did wake her up, she wasn't happy about it.  
  
"Hey!" Eve sat up and glared at Daniel.  
  
"Sleep well?" Daniel gave Eve his best innocent face.  
  
Eve reached up, pulled the pillow out from under Daniel's head and hit him with it.  
  
After breakfast, Daniel used a comlink to contact Jack.  
  
"Daniel!" Jack exclaimed when he answered.  
  
"Hey, Jack."  
  
"What's up? I didn't expect to hear from you until later this week."  
  
"Yeah, well I was hoping you could get a message to Sam for me."  
  
"Daniel, I'm hurt. You didn't call to talk to me?"  
  
Daniel sighed and slipped into the familiar game. "Hi, Jack. How are you?"  
  
"Oh fine. It's been a typical mission. You and Carter run off and make new friends. You leave Teal'c and me to fend for ourselves." Jack sniffed dramatically. "So, what can I do for you?"  
  
"We found a chamber in the tomb that has a console in it. I was kind of hoping that Sam could come and take a look at it."  
  
"Well, I'll have to check with her secretary and see if she has any time available."  
  
"Jack," Daniel let some of his exasperation be heard in his voice.  
  
"Okay, okay," Jack said. "They let her out for lunch in about three hours. I'll check with her and see what she says."  
  
"Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it." He moved to disconnect the 'link.  
  
"Daniel wait, wait. I wanted to ask you..."  
  
Daniel cringed, knowing what was coming.  
  
"How are things with you and, what was her name, Eve?"  
  
"Fine Jack, things are going fine."  
  
"So, are you going to have to commute to work every morning or is she?"  
  
"Ja-ack!"  
  
"Well, have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Jack snickered as he cut-off the transmission.  
  
Daniel met Eve outside the tomb. Ty was with her and they were both carrying scanning equipment.  
  
"Morning, Ty," Daniel greeted. He flashed Eve a smile, which she blushingly returned.  
  
Ty cleared his throat. "Morning, Doctor Jackson."  
  
"Shall we?" Eve started down into the darkness.  
  
They set up in the chamber, Ty broke out the scanning equipment and Eve walked around the room with her fingertips lightly brushing the walls. Daniel watched her for a few minutes.  
  
She was intensely focused on her work, just like Virgil had warned him. However, she was also funny, generous and kind. In the past week, he'd seen her frustrated and elated, intense and distracted, frantic and serene. He loved working side-by-side with her, solving puzzles and sharing the joys and disappointments of archeology.  
  
Eve paced the room, studying the walls for any clues. Her fingers brushed over a groove and she stopped. Focusing her light on the wall, she traced her fingers in the channel. It went up, just over her head, and took a ninety-degree turn. The entire thing cut a shallow square in the wall. There were no edges to get her fingers behind, so she couldn't pull it out. Running the palm of her hand over the middle of the square, she felt the slightly embossed pattern.  
  
"Daniel?" Daniel walked to the far corner where Eve was standing. "Feel this," she took his hand and ran it over the pattern. "What do you think it is?"  
  
Daniel frowned, the embossing was the same dark color as the walls, and he couldn't make it out. "Do you have any large pieces of paper?" he asked.  
  
"Not down here, there might be some left over from when we sketched the diagram for the tomb."  
  
Ty overheard their conversation. "I'm on it," he said and took off at a fast jog.  
  
"Eve," Daniel started, taking her hand in his. She looked up into his eyes. "I," he paused, searching for the words. "I go home in a few days."  
  
"I know," she looked down at her feet. "I wish you could stay, but..."  
  
"But," he agreed. "I wish you could come to Earth, see where I live."  
  
"I'd like that," she replied. "After we've finished here."  
  
Daniel brought his hand up to brush her cheek. She leaned into his touch and as he rubbed his thumb just under her eye he thought he felt a tear. "Hey," he pulled her close.  
  
The sound of a throat clearing had them stepping apart suddenly. "That was fast, Ty," Eve commented without looking up. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she did look up and saw that it was Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. "Where's Ty?"  
  
"Who?" Jack asked.  
  
"One of Eve's assistants," Daniel explained. "He went topside to find some paper." Daniel took a glance at his watch. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you until after lunch."  
  
"Yeah well, you know Carter," Jack shrugged.  
  
"The engineer I was working with was called away – his wife is having a baby and she went into labor. When I got back to the apartment, the Colonel told me you called."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, come take a look at this," Daniel led her over to the console.  
  
"Do you know what these symbols are?" Sam asked as she studied them.  
  
"No, they don't match any of the text we've been able to translate."  
  
Ty returned with the paper and handed it to Daniel. He left Sam at the console and he and Eve held the paper up to the embossed symbol and made a rubbing of it.  
  
"I'm hungry," Jack announced to the silence.  
  
"They should be serving lunch in the dining tent," Eve commented.  
  
"Do they have pie?" Jack asked. "Seriously, though kids. What do you say, time for a lunch break?"  
  
"I'm good."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Me three."  
  
Ty looked questioningly at Eve. "Go," she said. "Show the Colonel where he can get something to eat."  
  
The younger man grinned; he'd been hungry for a couple of hours but didn't want to say anything. Ty and the Colonel left to find food.  
  
When the rubbing was finished, Daniel studied it. "Hey! This matches one of the symbols on the console." He took it over to Sam and Eve followed.  
  
Daniel pointed to the symbol it matched. "What do you think it does?" Sam asked.  
  
"I don't know," he replied.  
  
The three of them stood around the console, looking from the rubbing to the button. No one was willing to ask if they should push the button. Sam and Daniel knew from experience that anything could happen. Finally, Eve reached over and pushed the button.  
  
"Eve!" Sam and Daniel both shouted.  
  
The square panel slid out of the wall. White light spilled out of the opening. On a clear shelf were three large, brightly colored jewels.  
  
When if seemed that nothing was going to explode, Sam and Daniel let out their breath. Daniel grabbed Eve by the arm. "Don't do that again," he warned. "You never know what might happen."  
  
Eve shrugged free and gave him an irritated look. "If I hadn't we'd have been standing around trying to figure this out until the end of time."  
  
"Well, what's done is done," Daniel said. "Sam, can you work the scanners?"  
  
Sam picked up the small handheld device. "Yeah, not a problem." She used it to take readings on the gems. "They're emitting a low level of energy but they appear to be safe."  
  
Eve was still irritated with Daniel for reprimanding her and stood on the opposite side of Sam as she and Daniel moved to observe their find. "Look," Daniel held out a finger, just above the jewels. "They're grooved like they should fit together."  
  
Eve was studying the back of the wall panel, it was covered in writing. "Jewels...heart...overcome queen." She looked to Daniel for confirmation; he nodded. Eve pulled out her video recorder and took pictures of the panel so she could complete the translation later.  
  
"I wonder if there are any more panels," Sam said.  
  
"Well, now that we know what to look for, we should be able to find them," Daniel said. A search of the walls revealed no more panels. Just when they were about to give up, Daniel suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor and began running his hand over the smooth surface. "Here!" he said. "I've found something."  
  
They found another, larger square groove cut in the floor. In the center another symbol was embossed. It took several pieces of paper to make the rubbing. They matched the symbol to one on the console.  
  
"What do you think?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Well," Sam said. "I think that the extra symbols are there as decoys. A sort of test to make sure that only the right people, or those smart enough to figure it out can open the panels. We've seen that kind of thing before."  
  
"Thor's Hall," Daniel agreed and Sam nodded.  
  
"Well," Eve said, impatiently. "Are we going to try it?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Daniel pushed the second button. The panel on the floor lifted, revealing more white light and the body of a sleeping woman.  
  
The woman was dressed in a midnight blue gown accented with gold and silver stars. Her long, white hair pooled around her head. Her face was pale with only two spots of pink color on her cheeks.  
  
"Nuit," Daniel said."  
  
"Who?" Sam asked.  
  
"The Goa'uld that brought humans to Vedra," Daniel answered.  
  
"But there's no evidence of Goa'uld occupation here," Sam countered.  
  
"We think she didn't last long," Eve said. "She would have encountered the Vedrans not long after arriving. They're the ones that would have done this. But they either didn't know how to send us back or chose not to."  
  
Out of habit, Sam looked to Daniel for confirmation. He nodded.  
  
"Whoa!" Jack returned to the room and was surprised by what he saw. "Daniel?"  
  
"Hey, Jack," Daniel greeted.  
  
"What did you touch?"

* * *

**A/N:**Chapter 3 

_I asked Claire to accompany me to the city and she accepted. We spent the day shopping for supplies for camp and souveniers to take back to our friends and families. I treated her to lunch in an outdoor café. We had a wonderful time._

_I stopped the jeep on the last dune before we reached camp. The night was cool and the moon was full. I didn't think the setting could be more romantic. I leaned over to kiss her, but she stopped me. My ego bruised, I drove the rest of the way to camp in silence._

_The next day, we were working in the pyramid. It was hot, hotter than it had ever been. We took a short water break, resting in the shade of the pyramid. I worked up the courage to ask Claire why she had rejected my advances._

_She smiled, shyly, and then leaned over to kiss my cheek. "If I made it too easy," she said, "You'd lose interest too quickly." Then she slid of the rock we'd been resting on and went back to work._

_I think I'm in love._

_--From the journal of Dr. Melbourne Jackson_

After breakfast, a vehicle came to take Daniel and Eve back to the site. When they reached the dig, several workers who had questions immediately confronted Eve. With an apologetic glance at Daniel, she followed them to the location in question.

Daniel went to his tent and picked up the notes he'd been working on for the last fewdays. With fresh eyes, the foreign symbols suddenly clicked into place. Sitting down at the table he wrote furiously in a notebook.

Eve found him just before the evening meal. "Daniel?" she said from outside the tent.

"Come in," he answered, not bothering to look up from his work.

Slipping into the tent, Eve walked over to the table. "Are you okay? No one has seen you all afternoon."

Daniel reached up and grabbed her hand. With a gentle tug, he pulled her into his lap. "Here, look at this." He showed her the notes.

"What is…oh," she stopped talking as she understood what she was seeing.

"Here, see," Daniel pointed to his notes. "Nuit, Egyptian goddess of the sky. She brought humans here from Earth thousands of years ago. Most likely it was after Ra found out that she had children by another Goa'uld, Geb I think."

Eve picked up the notepad, unconsciously leaning into Daniel's embrace. "But the people rebelled, they had help from the…what's that word?"

"I don't know, I think it's probably a name – the Vedrans. But I don't think it was your people."

"No, these were aliens. They built the tomb as a monument to the rebellion. The weapon they used is buried in the, the heart?"

"The heart, could be center. Have you seen anything down there that could be a weapon?"

"No, so far there's been nothing but corridors. I mean, I knew there had to be a chamber, something down there. Otherwise what would be the point?"

A stomach growled and Daniel and Eve looked at each other, unable to tell whose stomach it had been. "Dinner?" Daniel suggested.

"Yeah. Then we can go down and do some looking around."

"Alright. Up," he ordered, catching her hand as they walked to the dining tent.

Down in the tomb after a quick meal, Eve and Daniel explored the corridors, looking for signs of the weapon or a hidden room. They kept brushing arms and bumping elbows in the narrow hallways.

After an hour, they were both hot – the day's heat was trapped in the dark corridors – and frustrated. They couldn't find anything that would give them the information they were seeking.

Daniel let out a growl, "Nothing! There's nothing." He turned to face Eve.

She sighed, and rubbed at the back of her neck. "Just a little bit longer, I'm sure it's got to be around here somewhere."

Daniel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. After he replaced his glasses, he went to stand behind Eve. He lightly rubbed her shoulders and neck. As he read the wall above her head, Eve leaned back into the massage. Her warm body felt natural against his and it distracted him from the translation. He read as far down as the top of Eve's head, but the scent of her hair broke his concentration. He turned her around and before his rational mind could object, he lowered his mouth to hers.

After an initial, muffled protest, Eve melted against him. Her arms slipped around his waist, one hand pressed tight against the small of his back while the other roamed up his back.

When she sighed and parted her lips, Daniel groaned and deepened the kiss. He pushed Eve up against the wall. Tearing his lips from hers, he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her throat. Eve leaned her head back against the wall to give him better access. When she did so, her head bumped into a raised symbol and the wall behind them slid open.

Too startled to catch their balance, Eve and Daniel tumbled through the doorway. For a moment they stared at each other, too dazed from the kiss to comprehend what had happened. Soon, though, their passion for each other was replaced by their curiosity. Daniel rolled off Eve and they scrambled to their feet.

The air was musty and stale. A console at the far end of the room glowed, casting an eerie, blue light across the floor. The walls were smooth and unadorned. A few steps brought them to the console. They studied it in silence, each trying to translate the symbols that indicated the various buttons.

"Any ideas?" Eve asked.

Daniel shook his head. "None." The work lights in the hallway suddenly began to flicker and fade. "Did you bring a spare power pack?"

"No, I didn't think to do that," Eve confessed. "We'd better head up to the surface. We can grab some spares and some scanning equipment and come back down."

"Hmm," Daniel let his eyes wander around the room. He considered staying while Eve went to get the supplies, but the lights suddenly gave out and they were plunged into darkness save for the light of the console. "Well, I guess that means we better go now," he said.

He took Eve's hand and they felt their way out of the tomb and into the fresh night air. "I've got some power packs in my tent," Eve said, and without letting go of Daniel's hand walked in that direction.

Inside her tent, Daniel sat on her cot while she searched for the equipment they needed. When she turned around, ready to go, she saw that he'd lain down and was fast asleep. Eve set everything down as quietly as she could. Sitting next to him, she gently removed his glasses. Before she could rise, Daniel snaked an arm around her waist. Since she couldn't get up, she moved so that she was laying down next to him – her back to his front. Within minutes, she too was fast asleep.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and warm. Daniel slowly rose to wakefulness. He let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to Eve. He nuzzled her neck until she groaned. "Good morning," he said. Eve only grunted. And Jack thinks I'm bad in the morning, Daniel thought. "Wake up," he gave Eve what he thought was a gentle nudge.

Unfortunately, on the narrow cot, Daniel's nudge was enough to push Eve over the edge and onto the floor. While the landing did wake her up, she wasn't happy about it. "Hey!" Eve sat up and glared at Daniel.

"Sleep well?" Daniel gave Eve his best innocent face.

Eve reached up, pulled the pillow out from under Daniel's head and hit him with it.

After breakfast, Daniel used a comlink to contact Jack.

"Daniel!" Jack exclaimed when he answered.

"Hey, Jack."

"What's up? I didn't expect to hear from you until later this week."

"Yeah, well I was hoping you could get a message to Sam for me."

"Daniel, I'm hurt. You didn't call to talk to me?"

Daniel sighed and slipped into the familiar game. "Hi, Jack. How are you?"

"Oh fine. It's been a typical mission. You and Carter run off and make new friends. You leave Teal'c and me to fend for ourselves." Jack sniffed dramatically. "So, what can I do for you?"

"We found a chamber in the tomb that has a console in it. I was kind of hoping that Sam could come and take a look at it."

"Well, I'll have to check with her secretary and see if she has any time available."

"Jack," Daniel let some of his exasperation be heard in his voice.

"Okay, okay," Jack said. "They let her out for lunch in about three hours. I'll check with her and see what she says."

"Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it." He moved to disconnect the 'link.

"Daniel wait, wait. I wanted to ask you…"

Daniel cringed, knowing what was coming.

"How are things with you and, what was her name, Eve?"

"Fine Jack, things are going fine."

"So, are you going to have to commute to work every morning or is she?"

"Ja-ack!"

"Well, have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Jack snickered as he cut-off the transmission.

Daniel met Eve outside the tomb. Ty was with her and they were both carrying scanning equipment.

"Morning, Ty," Daniel greeted. He flashed Eve a smile, which she blushingly returned.

Ty cleared his throat. "Morning, Doctor Jackson."

"Shall we?" Eve started down into the darkness.

They set up in the chamber, Ty broke out the scanning equipment and Eve walked around the room with her fingertips lightly brushing the walls. Daniel watched her for a few minutes. She was intensely focused on her work, just like Virgil had warned him. However, she was also funny, generous and kind. In the past week, he'd seen her frustrated and elated, intense and distracted, frantic and serene. He loved working side-by-side with her, solving puzzles and sharing the joys and disappointments of archeology.

Eve paced the room, studying the walls for any clues. Her fingers brushed over a groove and she stopped. Focusing her light on the wall, she traced her fingers in the channel. It went up, just over her head, and took a ninety-degree turn. The entire thing cut a shallow square in the wall. There were no edges to get her fingers behind, so she couldn't pull it out. Running the palm of her hand over the middle of the square, she felt the slightly embossed pattern.

"Daniel?" Daniel walked to the far corner where Eve was standing. "Feel this," she took his hand and ran it over the pattern. "What do you think it is?"

Daniel frowned, the embossing was the same dark color as the walls, and he couldn't make it out. "Do you have any large pieces of paper?" he asked.

"Not down here, there might be some left over from when we sketched the diagram for the tomb."

Ty overheard their conversation. "I'm on it," he said and took off at a fast jog.

"Eve," Daniel started, taking her hand in his. She looked up into his eyes. "I," he paused, searching for the words. "I go home in a few days."

"I know," she looked down at her feet. "I wish you could stay, but…"

"But," he agreed. "I wish you could come to Earth, see where I live."

"I'd like that," she replied. "After we've finished here."

Daniel brought his hand up to brush her cheek. She leaned into his touch and as he rubbed his thumb just under her eye he thought he felt a tear. "Hey," he pulled her close.

The sound of a throat clearing had them stepping apart suddenly. "That was fast, Ty," Eve commented without looking up. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she did look up and saw that it was Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. "Where's Ty?"

"Who?" Jack asked.

"One of Eve's assistants," Daniel explained. "He went topside to find some paper." Daniel took a glance at his watch. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you until after lunch."

"Yeah well, you know Carter," Jack shrugged.

"The engineer I was working with was called away – his wife is having a baby and she went into labor. When I got back to the room, the Colonel told me you called."

"Yeah. Yeah, come take a look at this," Daniel led her over to the console.

"Do you know what these symbols are?" Sam asked as she studied them.

"No, they don't match any of the text we've been able to translate."

Ty returned with the paper and handed it to Daniel. He left Sam at the console and he and Eve held the paper up to the embossed symbol and made a rubbing of it.

"I'm hungry," Jack announced to the silence.

"They should be serving lunch in the dining tent," Eve commented.

"Do they have pie?" Jack asked. "Seriously, though kids. What do you say, time for a lunch break?"

"I'm good."

"Me too."

"Me three."

Ty looked questioningly at Eve. "Go," she said. "Show the Colonel where he can get something to eat."

The younger man grinned; he'd been hungry for a couple of hours but didn't want to say anything. Ty and the Colonel left to find food.

When the rubbing was finished, Daniel studied it. "Hey! This matches one of the symbols on the console." He took it over to Sam and Eve followed.

Daniel pointed to the symbol it matched. "What do you think it does?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

The three of them stood around the console, looking from the rubbing to the button. No one was willing to ask if they should push the button. Sam and Daniel knew from experience that anything could happen. Finally, Eve reached over and pushed the button.

"Eve!" Sam and Daniel both shouted.

The square panel slid out of the wall. White light spilled out of the opening. On a clear shelf were three large, brightly colored jewels. When if seemed that nothing was going to explode, Sam and Daniel let out their breath.

Daniel grabbed Eve by the arm. "Don't do that again," he warned. "You never know what might happen."

Eve shrugged free and gave him an irritated look. "If I hadn't, we'd have been standing around trying to figure this out until the end of time."

"Well, what's done is done," Daniel said. "Sam, can you work the scanners?"

Sam picked up the small handheld device. "Yeah, not a problem." She used it to take readings on the gems. "They're emitting a low level of energy but they appear to be safe."

Eve was still irritated with Daniel for reprimanding her and stood on the opposite side of Sam as she and Daniel moved to observe their find. "Look," Daniel held out a finger, just above the jewels. "They're grooved like they should fit together."

Eve was studying the back of the wall panel, it was covered in writing. "Jewels…heart…overcome queen." She looked to Daniel for confirmation; he nodded. Eve pulled out her video recorder and took pictures of the panel so she could complete the translation later.

"I wonder if there are any more panels," Sam said.

"Well, now that we know what to look for, we should be able to find them," Daniel said. A search of the walls revealed no more panels. Just when they were about to give up, Daniel suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor and began running his hand over the smooth surface. "Here!" he said. "I've found something."

They found another, larger square groove cut in the floor. In the center another symbol was embossed. It took several pieces of paper to make the rubbing. They matched the symbol to one on the console.

"What do you think?" Daniel asked.

"Well," Sam said. "I think that the extra symbols are there as decoys. A sort of test to make sure that only the right people, or those smart enough to figure it out can open the panels. We've seen that kind of thing before."

"Thor's Hall," Daniel agreed and Sam nodded.

"Well," Eve said, impatiently. "Are we going to try it?"

Taking a deep breath, Daniel pushed the second button. The panel on the floor lifted, revealing more white light and the body of a sleeping woman.

The woman was dressed in a midnight blue gown accented with gold and silver stars. Her long, white hair pooled around her head. Her face was pale with only two spots of pink color on her cheeks.

"Nuit," Daniel said."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"The Goa'uld that brought humans to Vedra," Daniel answered.

"But there's no evidence of Goa'uld occupation here," Sam countered.

"We think she didn't last long," Eve said. "She would have encountered the Vedrans not long after arriving. They're the ones that would have done this. But they either didn't know how to send us back or chose not to."

Out of habit, Sam looked to Daniel for confirmation. He nodded.

"Whoa!" Jack returned to the room and was surprised by what he saw. "Daniel?"

"Hey, Jack," Daniel greeted.

"What did you touch?"

* * *

**A/N:** This was my first kissing scene...how'd I do? Too much? Not enough?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** How many ways can I say this? I don't own them.

**A/N:** Now we're getting to some action - just read it, will ya?****

* * *

**Chapter 4**  
  
_We're packing up today, the expedition has run out of funding so we're going home. When I had my tent cleaned up, I went in search of Claire.  
  
I asked where she was headed next. She's planning on joining her father in South America. She gave me an address so I could write to her. I accepted the scrap of paper. An intern came and told Claire that her jeep was ready to take her to the airport.  
  
On impulse, I grabbed her hand. She threw herself into my arms. After a fierce hug, she left me standing in the dessert.  
  
I wonder if Nicholas Ballard could use an Egyptologist?  
  
--From the journal of Dr. Melbourne Jackson  
  
_It took Eve and Daniel the rest of the week to piece together Nuit's story. She had indeed brought humans to Vedra, not realizing that the Vedrans already populated it. She was quickly defeated. The Vedrans realized that it was the Goa'uld inside and not the woman who was evil and they put her in stasis until they could figure out a way to remove the parasite. No 'cure' was found before the Vedran's died out.  
  
Sam had returned to the city to continue her studies, but Jack remained behind. Even in stasis, the Goa'uld made him nervous.  
  
The night before they were to return home, Jack felt expecially restless. His instincts were telling him that something bad was going to happen. "I knew this mission was too easy," he muttered, cynically.  
  
Darkness settled over the camp like a blanket. Jack prowled the campsite. Carter, Teal'c and Fraiser were due in any minute. Daniel and Eve were in the dining tent, their notes were spread out over one of the large tables. Jack paced by the tent, checking on his teammate.  
  
Daniel whispered something in Eve's ear and she giggled. Jack worried about Daniel – something that had become second nature about seven years ago. He could only hope that things hadn't progressed so far between the two archeologists that living on two different worlds would break Daniel's heart.  
  
The trasnport from the city arrived. Daniel left Eve in the dining tent to greet his teammates. Virgil accompanied the part from the city.  
  
"Chancellor Claudius and the other councillors will join us tomorrow for one last banquet," Virgil explained.  
  
"Sweet," Jack commented, his voice thick with sarcasm.  
  
"It's good to see you all," Daniel said. "But I'm going to get back to work." He walked back to the dining tent. Virgil joined him.  
  
The table where Daniel had left Eve was empty. Figuring that she had just taken a break, Daniel began showing Virgil their progress. Daniel found a notation of Eve's and his eyes went wide. "Damn!"  
  
"What is it?" Virgil asked.  
  
"The power on the stasis field isn't stable," Daniel said.  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"It means trouble," Daniel said. He saw Ty across the dining tent. "Ty!" The young man looked up. "Where's Eve?"  
  
"She said she had something to check down in the tomb," Ty replied.  
  
"Damn," Daniel swore again. "Go find Jack and have him meet me at the tomb," Daniel ordered.  
  
Virgil grabbed Daniel's arm. "What's going on?" he demanded.  
  
"The Goa'uld may be loose," Daniel said as he shrugged free and checked to make sure his pistol was in its holster.  
  
"And Eve went down there," Virgil whispered.  
  
The two men looked at each other for a heartbeat. They took off at a dead sprint for the tomb. Jumping down the stairs, Daniel led the way to the hidden chamber.  
  
"Colonel O'Neill!" Ty raced to the tent that had been set up for SG-1.  
  
"What?" Jack demanded as he opened the flap of the tent.  
  
Ty sucked in air, trying to catch his breath. "Daniel said to have you meet him at the tomb."  
  
"Come on guys, let's go!" Jack turned back to his team. He caught the P- 90 that Teal'c tossed to him and they ran for the tomb.  
  
Inside the hidden chamber, Daniel and Virgil found Nuit awake and crushing Eve's windpipe.  
  
"NO!" Virgil shouted and launched himself at the would-be god. He knocked Nuit off Eve's supine form. The pair went tumbling into the wall. Nuit gained the upper hand and knocked Virgil's head into the wall with a backhanded slap.  
  
The Goa'uld stood and her eyes glowed white with rage. "You will all die for your insolence!" She raised her hand device and aimed it at Daniel.  
  
Daniel raised his pistol and hoped that Nuit didn't have a personal shield. He fired, but his bullets ricocheted off the energy field surrounding the Goa'uld. His eyes locked on the three jewels, still in the open panel in the corner of the room. Daniel saw Eve slowly sitting up.  
  
"The jewels," he shouted just before the blast from Nuit's hand device slammed him into the wall.  
  
Nuit turned to Eve; intent on her prey. Virgil regained conciousness and intercepted the Goa'uld before she could attack.  
  
Grateful for the time her brother had bought her, Eve fit the three jewels together. They hummed with power and Eve could feel the power flow through her body and back into the jewels. She realized that she had no control over the weapon and screamed for Virgil to get out of the way.  
  
Virgil heard Eve's warning and tried to get out of Nuit's grasp, but the stronger woman held him as a personal shield.  
  
"I'm sorry," Eve whispered as a bolt of energy discharged itself from the jewels. Virgil's eyes only widened as the beam cut through his heart and into his captor. Nuit screamed in rage and pain before she collaped to the ground, pulling Virgil with her. They were both dead before the echo of Nuit's faded into silence.  
  
O'Neill, the rest of SG-1 and Ty skidded to a halt outside the chamber. Seeing that the threat had been neutralized, Jack lowered his weapon and rushed inside.  
  
Janet and Teal'c rushed to the two fallen bodies. Janet knew that they were both dead without having to check for pulses. She jumped back when she saw the Goa'uld symbiote slither out of the dead woman. A look of disgust flitted over Teal'c's face as he ground the snake beneath his heel.  
  
Sam made her way to Eve to pry the jewels out of the stunned archeologist's hands. Eve's breathing was shallow, her skin pale and clammy. "Janet," Sam called for the doctor's attention.  
  
Janet turned and watched as Eve collapsed into Sam's arms. The petite doctor rushed to the other side of the room.  
  
Jack pulled Daniel to his feet. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Daniel rubbed a hand on the back of his head.  
  
Ty stood in the doorway, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.  
  
"Colonel," Janet's said. Jack turned to look look at the doctor. "We need to get her back to the SGC."  
  
Ty found his voice. "Yes," he agreed with Janet. "You have to take her away." Everyone turned to the young man. "When they find out that she killed her brother they'll execute her."  
  
"Jack, please," Daniel said.  
  
"Go," Ty pleaded. "I'll cover for you."  
  
"Colonel," Janet said. "Her pulse is weak. I can't help her unless we get her back to Earth."  
  
Jack looked at Teal'c and the big man nodded slightly. Sam nodded as well when the Colonel looked at her for her opinion. "Alright," Jack said, finally. "Let's go."  
  
Before Jack could say anything else, Daniel crossed to where the women were huddled over Eve and scooped her into his arms. Sam carefully disassembled the jewels and stowed them in her pack.  
  
"I'd like to study them," she explained. Jack nodded and a very grim procession made their way out of the tomb.  
  
Outside, most of the camp had retired, but the few people who were still up got out of the way when Ty explained that they were saving Eve's life. At the Stargate, Teal'c sent through the iris code while Jack used the radio to contact General Hammond.  
  
"This is Hammond," the texas drawl crackled through the radio. "Is everything okay, Colonel?"  
  
"SG-1 is fine, Sir," Jack reported. "We do however have a native in need of serious medical attention. Request permission to bring her through the 'gate."  
  
Hammond only hesitated for a moment, he trusted O'Neill's judgement. "Permission granted." He turned to the sergeant at the console. "Open the iris."  
  
Janet stepped through the gate first, followed by Sam. Before Daniel could step up onto the platform, Ty placed a hand on his arm. The young man stroked a hand over Eve's hair. "Take care of her," he pleaded.  
  
"We will," Daniel promised. Carefully adjusting his grip on Eve, Daniel pulled her closer and stepped into the event horizon.


	5. Chapter 5 & Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** Let's see...nope! Still not mine. Maybe I'll put in on my Christmas list...

**A/N:** And now for the exciting conclusion...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5  
**  
_I arrived in South America yesterday. But I haven't gone to the excavation site yet. I found out from my escort that Claire is sick. I insisted on being taken to the hospital where she is staying.  
  
So far, she has remained unconcious. I have been her only visitor – her father, according to the doctors, has not been to visit. I hold her hand in mine and tell her all the things that I haven't been able to put in my letters.  
_  
_The doctors aren't sure if she will survive – they say it is up to Claire now. My heart holds out hope that she will wake up. She has to wake up. I love her.  
  
I will tell her I love her until she hears me and wakes up._

_--From the journal of Dr. Melbourne Jackson  
_  
The next morning, Jack walked into the infirmary to find Daniel asleep – his arms resting on the edge of the bed, his head on his arms. He was precariously balanced on the edge of the chair. If it slid back just another inch...  
  
A mischievous impulse had Jack reaching for the back of the chair to pull it back. With a sigh, he elected to give it a shove forward. Startled awake by the sudden movement, Daniel's head snapped up, eyes blinking.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Hey." Jack's eyes fell on the woman unconscious on the bed. "How is she?"  
  
Daniel sighed. "Janet says she's in a coma." Pain filled his eyes.  
  
Jack's heart went out to his friend. Just when they thought he'd found happiness again it looked like it might be snatched from him.  
  
"Come on," Jack said, gently. "Hammond wants us in the briefing room. I'll buy you a cup of coffee," Jack offered when Daniel seemed to hesitate.  
  
Janet came out of her office, a stack of notes and reports held in her arms. She walked over to where Daniel was just standing. "Nurse Evans will notify me if there's any change," she said.  
  
Daniel yawned and stretched. "I need to stop by my office," he said. "I'll meet you in the briefing room."  
  
Fifteen minutes later Hammond entered the briefing room and saw SG-1 and Janet Fraiser seated around the table. He tried to read their expressions. Doctor Fraiser looked troubled, but that was normal when there was a critical-care patient in her infirmary. Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter and Teal'c seemed pleased with the results of their mission and Doctor Jackson looked exhausted.  
  
"I've received a communiqué from the Vedrans," Hammond said. "They are anxious to have their property and their archeologist returned to them. They insist that Eve must pay for her crimes."  
  
"Dammit!" Daniel growled. Before he could continue, Jack jumped in.  
  
"General," he said. "It was a combat situation. Eve did what she had to do to resolve the situation. They want to try her for murder. From what I know of their politics, she'll be found guilty."  
  
Hammond considered Jack's statement then turned to Major Carter. "What have you found out about the crystals?"  
  
"Separately, they emit a low level of energy. When put together, they draw energy from whatever is connected to them. In the lab, it's equipment. If a person is holding them, they would draw energy from the person. Once its reached capacity, the energy is discharged in the form of an energy blast – similar to a staff weapon, but it goes through a Goa'uld shield."  
  
"Can you duplicate it?" Hammond asked.  
  
"No, Sir. This technology is way beyond us. In fact, it's way beyond the Vedrans." Sam replied.  
  
"Doctor?"  
  
"Based on Sam's information, I can only guess that using the crystals drained Eve of all her energy – kind of like using up a battery. She just needs time to recharge."  
  
"How long?" Hammond wanted to know how much longer he'd have to stall the Vedrans.  
  
"I don't know for sure, Sir. A day or two, at least." Janet said.  
  
"General," Daniel spoke up.  
  
"Yes Doctor?"  
  
"When we were working together, Eve explained that Vedrans hold murder as the worst possible crime a person can commit. Even the accidental taking of a life is considered murder. Partly, this is due to the high death rate because of the lack of medical skills. But it's also because the original Vedrans – the ones that imprisoned Nuit – had the same moral standard and they passed it on to the humans they befriended.  
  
"If Eve goes back to Vedra, she faces the death penalty. Even though she was stopping a Goa'uld, she'll still be executed."  
  
"Strange punishment for a society that is so against killing," Jack commented.  
  
Daniel shrugged. "We've seen stranger." Daniel looked at the General again. "Sir, I don't think we should send her back. She could be a valuable asset to the SGC. She's an excellent archeologist."  
  
"I'll consider it," Hammond said. "In the meantime, I need to go see if I can't persuade the Chancellor to keep trade negotiations open for the time being. Dismissed."  
  
Daniel followed Janet to the infirmary. In the elevator, Janet placed a concerned hand on Daniel's arm. "Daniel, you need to rest."  
  
"I know," he frowned.  
  
"Trust me," Janet said. "I'll page you if there's any change. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Daniel agreed.

* * *

Twelve hours later, Daniel woke up. He was sprawled across the bed in his quarters, his BDU's were rumpled from having been slept in. He showered and changed, swinging by the commissary for a cup of coffee before he went to the infirmary.  
  
"There's been no change," Janet explained. "This is good, though," the doctor explained. "Her vitals have remained constant so we know that she's not getting worse."  
  
"Thanks," Daniel said as he took a seat by Eve's bed. He remained there, slowly stroking her hand until he was paged to the briefing room.

* * *

"It seems that the Vedrans are more in need of our medical technology than they are of pursuing justice. They've agreed to maintain a trade relationship with us on two conditions," Hammond said, once he and SG-1 were settled around the table in the briefing room. "Conditions, which I have agreed to."  
  
"And those conditions are," Jack prompted.  
  
"We return the crystals, immediately. And Eve is not allowed to return to Vedra."  
  
"Sounds fair to me," Jack said.  
  
"That's what I thought. Major Carter, please have the crystals ready to be returned within the hour. Dismissed," Hammond stood. "Doctor Jackson, may I have a word with you, in my office?"  
  
Daniel looked nervously at Jack who just shrugged. "Of course, General," Daniel answered.  
  
Once the door was closed and both men were seated, Hammond began. "Colonel O'Neill briefed me on some of the more personal details of the mission." When Daniel opened his mouth to speak, Hammond held up a hand. "Now, they haven't been included in the official report, but I expect you to maintain the highest level of professionalism as long as you are on this base."  
  
Daniel sat in silence. "As soon as she is cleared and the Air Force has set up her identity, Eve will be allowed to leave the base. She'll need to be taught about Earth's society and economy. Will you be able to do that?"  
  
The implications of what General Hammond was saying finally hit Daniel. Eve was staying and she wouldn't be confined to base! "Yes, Sir," Daniel agreed.  
  
"Good. Now, go give the young lady some good news. From what I've heard, she's going to need it."  
  
"Thank you!" Daniel jumped out of the chair and out of the office.  
  
In the infirmary, Janet greeted Daniel with a smile. "She's awake," Janet informed him.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Daniel gave Janet a quick hug. "Thank you," he said.  
  
"Daniel," Eve croaked when she saw him approaching.  
  
"I'm here," he whispered, taking her hand.  
  
"I have to go back," she said, struggling to sit up.  
  
"No, you don't," Daniel assured her. "You can stay here."  
  
"But I took his life, I couldn't control it and Virgil is dead," Eve tried to explain. Tears began streaming down her face.  
  
"You did what you had to do. You saved your entire world," Daniel tried to comfort her.  
  
"And now I can never go back," Eve said. "Because they'll execute me for murder."  
  
"I'm sorry, Eve, I really am," Daniel said. Then he leaned forward so that his face was inches from Eve's. "But I can't say I'm sorry that you're here." He smiled and was rewarded when Eve returned his sentiments with a soft kiss to his lips.  
  
**Epilogue  
**  
_Claire woke up today. The first words she spoke after opening her eyes were, "I love you too, Mel."  
  
Now I know I'm in love. _

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know...it's cheesy. But what can I say? I like a happy ending. I already have more 'episodes' in mind; so, unless the review box catches on fire from all the flames I'll have to write them. Stay tuned...


End file.
